Celtic midfielder Eboue Kouassi back training

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Celtic midfielder Eboue Kouassi has returned to training, after being snapped back at Lennoxtown.

The youngster hasn’t played since the 3-0 win over Hearts in the Betfred Cup semi-finals back in October. It was during that contest that he suffered knee ligament damage. He was ruled out for the season, and it came at a gutting time for the Ivorian too.

He had made five appearances before his injury. But in the month in which he picked up the season-ending knock, he had managed three appearances in the same month.

But there appear to be some shoots of recovery for the midfielder these days. The Daily Record spotted him back in training today. Kouassi has apparently been training for the last month too.

This is a massive boost for the midfielder. Being back on the road to recovery in time for pre-season will hopefully do him the world of good.

A monumental challenge awaits Kouassi upon his return

When Kouassi signed for £3million back in January 2017, much would’ve been expected of him. But instead, he’s made just 22 appearances in the near two-and-a-half years since his arrival in Glasgow.

Kouassi signed on a four-year contract, and therefore still has a deal that runs until 2021. He still has time to make it at Celtic. Clubs taking him off Celtic’s hands doesn’t look likely either.

But he has one heck of a challenge awaiting him when he does return. Currently occupying his spot in the team is both captain Scott Brown and Player of the Year Callum McGregor. Neither of those two will be droppable heading into the Champions League qualifiers in the summer.

Kouassi, however, can’t afford to give up. A strong pre-season could fire him into Neil Lennon or any other potential new manager’s plans. It’s important to remember that he was actually performing well when he picked up his injury.

He also has to battle with the likes of Olivier Ntcham, Nir Bitton, and the returning Youssouf Mulumbu too, however. Competition for places will be extreme in the centre of the park, and that’s not including any new recruits this summer either.

But for now, it’s a boost for Kouassi that he’s on the mend. That should be his main goal, before his mammoth task of breaking into this Celtic side gets underway.